It'll Be Alright Now She's All Dressed In White
by WillowGracex
Summary: One shot. Carla & Hayley.


**A/N: **I know it's super cheesy but I needed to cheer myself up after tonight's episodes. Oh and I haven't looked over it so I'm sure there will be mistakes which I can rectify another time as I'm too tired to carry on now. Hope you enjoy. :)

* * *

Carla stood smiling in front of the full length mirror of the hotel room. Her hand gently stroked her slightly swollen stomach that was hiding underneath her crystal white wedding dress. The Verve was softly playing in the background and a warm feeling filled her stomach as she felt the presence of her old flame stood beside her.

Of course she knew in her heart that Liam would be happy for her. She understood now that that's what love was all about: Putting your loved one's happiness before your own, even if it meant letting them go. Once upon a time she'd dreamt that this day would be different; that she would be preparing to marry the gorgeous Liam Connor instead, and it still caused a deep ache inside to think of him and the life they could have had. But she didn't regret a thing of what happened - not anymore. This was what was supposed to happen all along. This was always going to be her happy ending, she just hadn't realised it before.

The day her Liam had been cruelly taken away from her she genuinely believed that she'd never find love again. Her heart, she felt, had been smashed into thousands of tiny smithereens and her stomach held a dull agonising ache, an emptiness that no amount of alcohol could fill. But so much had changed in the years since his death and she felt truly blessed to have fallen so head-over-heels in love with another.

Looking back now, she thought it quite insane how many times she had passed Peter Barlow in the street and not even looked twice at the bookie. And all the times they had stood at the same bar sharing drinks at their local. Neither one of them could have foreseen what the future had in store for them; she thought it just as well as she probably would have run a mile. They really had battled their way through some horrendous ordeals in order to get where they were today, and at times she had wondered if it was all worth it. If she could go back three/four years now, she knew exactly what she would tell her younger self to do: Keep fighting. Because the answer was yes. It had been worth it; every bit of sweat, blood and tears. And what's more, those tough and very testing times had actually brought them closer and made them even stronger than before.

Understandably, they hadn't made it out completely unaffected. Every battle leaves its scar and their's were clear to see. You'd only have to look at Carla's jumpy reactions to loud, unexpected noises.. or you could sometimes catch Peter sat in the pub, mouth watering as he stared wantingly at the freshly poured pint resting on the table next to his. But despite their demons, they remained strong.. because no matter what happened, they had each other now. And they were addicted to each other more than they'd ever been addicted to the booze.

"Excuse me, Carla" a gentle voice came from behind.

Carla turned to face her, "Hayley." she smiled warmly. "You look beautiful."

A huge smile spread across Hayley's face as she bowed her head in embarrassment, her cheeks flushed a crimson red. She looked back up at her former boss and dear friend who was standing a few feet before her looking more breathtaking than she ever had.

Hayley had always admired Carla, and vice-versa. Carla was probably the strongest woman she knew and they had been through so much together. Tears lined her eyes as she took in every part of the woman standing there in her wedding gown, hand resting on her small bump.

Admittedly, the past two years hadn't been easy on either of them. Hayley's battle with cancer had left them both shaken. There were times when recovery looked like an impossible dream and even the doctors had thought it incurable at the beginning. Hayley's fight had surprised Carla, and Carla's hospitality had surprised Hayley. Hayley always knew how much Carla cared about her but never had she truly realised just how much the 'Ice Queen' loved her. Carla had completely taken over in the role as carer; she accompanied Hayley to every hospital appointment, stayed by her bedside to comfort her, hold her hand and wipe away her tears. On many occasions she'd slip into the bed and wrap the poor woman up in her arms so she wouldn't feel lonely. The chemotherapy had been especially hard to deal with as it made Hayley very nauseous. But even then Carla had been there to push her hair out of her face and rub her back. As with everything they'd been through, this had brought them closer. For the first time in her life, Carla let down her guard completely. Hayley was the only person other than Peter that she felt comfortable enough around to drop the facade. One night when they were cuddled up on the bed they had started talking about family, and for the first time in her life Carla opened up about her awful upbringing. Hayley had never witnessed a woman look so vulnerable and full of pain and self-hatred. It was the one night that Hayley had wrapped Carla in her arms and comforted her. She couldn't have asked for a better friend at such a torturous and testing time. She even thanked Carla for letting her in and for telling her things that she'd admitted to not even telling Peter about.

"It's so good to be 'ere," Hayley spoke through her tears.

Carla smiled. She tried to stop her own tears from falling. "It's so good to 'ave you 'ere." she replied. "'onestly, 'ayley" she bit her lip, a tear escaped her eye and strolled down her cheek. "I seriously thought we were gonna lose you at one point...I couldn't even imagine-"

"Eh," Hayley moved her hands to Carla's faced and brushed away her tears. Grabbing her hand, she guided the woman to the bed and sat down. "I just want you to know," Hayley looked deep into her eyes as she stated genuinely "- that I am _so _proud of you, Carla."

Carla choked on a sob, her hand flew up to cover her mouth. She'd never been very good at dealing with people's genuine kindness and compassion. A slap or an insult she could deal with, but not people being nice to her. Her cheeks had turned a bright red colour and her face was soaked with tears. She felt incredibly lucky to have this woman sat by her side today. She'd spent the past two years absolutely terrified that she was about to lose her like she'd already lost everybody else she loved. The woman was a warrior and Carla couldn't have thought of anyone better to give her away at her wedding.

"I 'ope you don't mind," Hayley said as she pulled a little box out of her bag. "But I know you said you didn't 'ave anythin' borrowed, so"

Carla opened the box "Oh, Hayles" she gasped. Her fingers gently brushed the silver chain as she picked up the beautiful white diamond necklace.

"I 'ope it's alright." Hayley said. "It's what I wore when I married our Roy an' I thought it might be nice, ya know, if you-"

"I love it." Carla assured her. She removed it from the box and lifted her hair so Hayley could place it around her neck. "It's so beautiful. Thank you." Carla kissed her cheek affectionately. "I really am grateful, ya know..for everythin'."

Hayley gave a gentle nod and squeezed her arms to indicate she understood.

"You're an absolute angel," Hayley beamed.

Carla giggled.

"You deserve to be 'appy more than anyone." They stared intensely into each other's eyes and Hayley whispered, "This is your 'appy ending, my love. Enjoy every moment of it."


End file.
